Cancer is Britons' number one fear

New research has revealed that cancer tops the list of Britons' fears, coming above Alzheimer's disease, heart attack and terrorism.

The survey of 4,000 Britons undertaken by Cancer Research UK also showed there was not enough awareness that a change of lifestyle can help to prevent cancer and that cancer treatment can often be effective if the disease is diagnosed early.

According to the poll, only one in five people surveyed correctly answered that half of all cancer cases could be prevented by lifestyle changes.

And two thirds of people underestimated the proportion of cancers that can be prevented.

There are just over 276,000 new cases of cancer in the UK every year and over half could be prevented by the appropriate lifestyle changes.

Cancer Research UK offered recommendations such as giving up smoking, exercise, a healthier diet and proper sun protection as ways to prevent the disease.

The charity also recommended seeing a doctor whenever any unusual signs are detected.